Skirt



N; TENNENS 2,423,666

July 8, 1947.

SKIRT Filed July 24, 1944 mrsme Mammy/EL. TEN/WEN? Patented July 8, 1947 "UNETED STAT:

o'srici:

"SKIRT Nathaniel Tennens, London, England Application July '24, 1944,-S Gi i31 N0. 546,273 in' Great Britain July' 23f1943 (Granted under-the'jprovisionsof sec. 14, actof 4 Claims.

of the garment a supplementary supporting means for same which allows for such enlargement and contraction in avertical direction and ensures that the abdomen is comfortably and properly covered at all times. Another object of the invention is to provide for improving the appearance of the figure.

According to the invention a skirt, slacks or other nether garment incorporates, in the region of the waist, a gusset provided with a series of fastener elements-disposed in spaced-apart relation across the width of the gusset, and has an associated part adapted to'be engaged at a free end thereof with any selected one of the fastener elements of the gusset, thereby to provide for variation in the effective waist'measurement of the garment.

The term gusset used in this specification and in the appended claims implies a gusset formed by an inserted gusset-forming piece or by anintegral triangular extension of one'ef the panels of the garment.

Conveniently, in carryingloiit' the invent-ion; the garment is provided with'alpair of gussets' e'ach having a series of fastener elements as above set forth, and a supporting waistband secured intermediate its ends to the body of the garment and adapted to be engaged at its respectiveends with any selected fastener elements of the different gussets. Preferably the gussets are situated at the respective sides of the garment.

In a preferred form of the invention especially applicable to maternity wear but nevertheless applicable generally, the waist band is arranged to extend across the front of the garment and is permanently secured thereto at spaced-apart portions and means is provided for connecting the free intermediate part of said Waist band to the front of the body of the garment in order to provide additional support for said garment, said connecting and supporting means bein of a form which provides for variation vertically as to the disposition of the free part of the waist band with respect to the garment. The said connecting and supporting means conveniently may comprise a series of fastener elements provided 'MarchZ, 1927 357 "-OJ -GJE) on "the ",body of .thegarm'ent and a 'co-operating fastener element provided on the 'fre'einte'rmediate part of the waistband.

The garmentfpr'ovided "the invention as above set forth'is capable of being wornasian ordinary garment, 'the adjustment provided at the gusset. O1 jgussets enabling 'thewa'istme'asure- "men't -Of the germenttofbie' adapted to the s izefdf thejfigure. For maternity Weanthe enlargement post-natal'contraction of the figure; the Zvertically-adjustable connection .at .the front ,p vides .for complete covering of the figure and comfortable .fitting of "the garment over the "abdomen during such enlargement and contraction.

A skirtof convenient form in. a'ecor'dali e' with the invention and which is primarily'inteiided for maternity wear, is illustrated in the aessiapan .in g drawings,'whrih 'Figrure v1 is .a front'vie'w .of'the i'ippenpaiit 5dr the skirt,

21s 'afside'vie'w, Figure .3 is a fragmenta y new "or the Jasmin front portion of the I's'kift, 'slti'o'vvil'ig"the waist ball-id broken .a'way forclearness, and V Figure 4 isia fragmentary .rearjperspective vie'w. The-skirt illustrated is providd at ea-(ih fSiHe with a gusset ii] formed, mime example shown,

by inserting triangular piece pf material between twoadjacei'it panels "ll, :12, bf the 's "rt, although altinati vely it could be fOflfiGdIbfipfO- viding one of the jpanls with 'an integral Iltriangular extension stitched to the meeting .ed'g'e .oftheadjacentpanel.

Each guss etll il entndsk'fiomthe region of the hips 'to theztop Iedge'of theLga'rment, which latter "is ;a'da'pted to lie' atthe waist, an'd is provided With a series of fastener elements l3 disposed in horizontal spaced-apart relation across said gusset near its upper end. The garment is provided with a front waist band M which is secured to the body of said garment where indicated by references l5, extending freely of same across the centre of the front. The free end portions N5 of said waist band are provided each with a fastener element i7 adapted to be engaged with any selected one of the fastener elements l3 provided on the adjacent gusset It. On the front of the body of the garment there is or are provided one or more sets of supporting fastener elements I8, the one or each set consisting of a series of elements spaced-apart in a vertical line, and the waist band M is provided with a fastener element (or elements) l9, adapted to be engaged with any (or sets) of fasteners 18 allows for raising of the free centre part of the waist band M with consequent paying out of the body of the garment as demanded by relatively greater measurement in the lower part of the abdomen. Thus, changes of body contour as regards expansion are allowed for whilst ensuring adequate covering for the abdomen and comfortable supporting of the garment at all times. Conversely, the waist measurement can be gradually decreased and the front of the garment taken up to allow for decrease of abdominal measurements during the post-natal period, these variations being made by the horizontal and vertical sets of fasteners aforesaid.

The fasteners employed for the horizontal and vertical sets may be of any suitable kind such as, for instance, a hook and loops, a press stud and sockets, or a button and button holes. In the example shown the elements 13 and i8 consist of loops and the elements I1 and !9.consist of hooks.

There may be only a single set of vertical fastener elements at the front centre, as shown, or there may be two, threeor more parallel sets, all adapted to engage the free intermediate ,part of the waist band.

I claim:

1. A skirt having, in the region of the waist, a pair of gussets disposed at'the respective sides of the skirt and each provided with aseries of fastener elements disposed in spaced-apart relation across the width of the gusset, and having a supporting waist band secured near its respective ends to the body of the skirt, and arranged to extend across the front thereof, fastener elements provided on free end portions of said waist band for engagement with any selected fastener elements of the respective gussets, thereby to provide for variation in the efiective waist measurement of the skirt, a series of fastener elements provided on the front of the body of the skirt and which are vertically spaced apart, and a operating fastener element on the free centralpart of the waist band for engagement with any selected one of the said vertically separated fastener elements to provide additional support for the skirt in a manner which allows for variation vertically as to the disposition of the free central part of the waist band with respect to the body of the skirt.

2. A skirt having, in the region of the waist, means providing for variation as to the effective waist measurement of the skirt, and in combination therewith a waist belt arranged to extend across the front of the skirt and which is permanently secured thereto at spaced apart positions adjacent each end thereof, said belt being free along the part intermediate said permanentlysecured positions, and means for connecting the free intermediate part of said waist belt to the front of the body of the skirt in order to providesupport therefor, said connecting means being of a form which provides for variation vertically as to the disposition of the free part of the waist belt with respect to the skirt.

3. A skirt according to claim 2, wherein the said connecting and supporting means at the front of the skirt comprises a series of fastener elements provided on the body of said skirt and a cooperating fastener element provided on the waist band.

4. A skirt having in the region of the waist a waist belt secured at spaced apart positions to the body of the skirt and having its intermediate portion free of said skirt body, means for supportably connecting theskirt body to the free intermediate part of the waist belt in a manner affording vertical adjustment as to the disposition' of, the waist belt with respect to the skirt body, gussets provided on the skirt body and situated in the proximity of the positions where the belt is fixed to said body, extensions to the belt beyond its said positions of fixing, and means for connecting said belt extensions to the skirt body in a manner affording adjustment as to the fullness of each gusset.

NATHANIEL TENNENS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent: 

